


Business Rules

by EdnaV



Category: Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Character Study, Crisis of conscience, Friendship, it's not personal it's just business
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 05:52:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13334835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdnaV/pseuds/EdnaV
Summary: Lando is trying to follow Darth Vader's orders, but he has to deal with a girl who's definitely more clever than she looks, a friend who's probably more stupid than he looks, and the nagging suspicion that maybe business isn't the best thing in the universe, after all.





	Business Rules

Of course Lando knew who she was.

“Keep an eye on every war” has always been a fundamental rule for any businessperson; and one should have spent the last three years tightly blindfolded not to recognize that tiny brunette. Nineteen-year-old Senator from Alderaan in the war of politics (when the Empire still pretended to have politics beyond its iron fist); _tragic casualty in an accident_ right after the battle of Scarif (as if anyone believed that); a military leader inciting to rebellion on the clandestine holopads (propaganda, the most desperate battle of every war). And now she was walking towards him, on the landing platform of a city built to be hidden from the public eye.

She was probably aware of the irony - she hadn't even taken off the gallons on her jacket. Lando couldn't help thinking that she was both much shorter and much more beautiful than he expected. _Don't be an idiot_ , he scolded himself. _You know better than_ _confusing_ _a woman_ _with a pretty face_ _._ But that fraction of a second had been enough to put him off guard: suddenly she was dangerously close and he had to say something.

“And who might _you_ be?”

They didn't need that shiny protocol droid to translate: _“Are you so desperate that you're going to deny the obvious, or so desperate that you're going to trust me?”_

It had taken her one word to turn the table on him: “Leia.”

Translation: _“Don't even think I might be desperate.”_

Lando didn't love business because of the money: he loved the thrill of playing with people. He had always found it intoxicating - the tiny details of the show you put up to convince your opponent that they only desire giving you all their money. That's why he had always steered clear of politics and war: that game of power was just too obvious. And yet - this _politician_ , this _militar leader_ , was clearly as good as any businessperson he'd ever met. Once again, he lost control of his own thoughts.

 _I want to see you at a sabacc table. I'd even love to_ lose _against someone like you, watching you play would be worth all the..._

But no, it wouldn't. “Live in the real world”: another rule that every businessman should follow. A sabacc game with Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, big shot of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, was never going to exist in the real world.

The real world: three standard hours before, Darth Vader's shuttle had landed on that same pad. Vader was as tall as Lando expected him to be. He had not given orders - he had _told_ what was going to happen: and it had happened, at least so far. Even Han, Chewie and _her_ seemed to follow Lord Vader's instructions, despite they meant their...

_Don't. It's not your fault. Han should have known better. Chewbacca chooses to follow him, that's his choice - his fault. And revolutionary leaders tend to end badly anyway._

Darth Vader had given the facts: _A Corellian freighter will approach. The passengers will ask you to land and to help them with some repairs. You will agree to do it and make them feel at ease. You will offer them hospitality in the best rooms..._

And it had happened, down to the tiniest detail. Lando had felt like a punch in his gut when the Corellian freighter had turned out to be the _Falcon_. He had hoped that Han's luck at sabacc had taken a turn for the worse, that someone else would have come out of that ship - of course, no. And then Chewbacca. And then - _her_. Which meant that the rumors were true, that Han had moved from _foolish enough to dump a Hutt's cargo_ to _foolish enough to join a revolution_.

“Don't be a fool”: another rule - for anyone, actually, business or not. Lando didn't want to be a fool, so he was following Vader's instructions. Granted, he was doing it badly: joking that the _Falcon_ was a piece of junk ( _they've heard that, what? A hundred times?_ ), boring them to death with the report of supply issues ( _get the hint: I'm in trouble, you might be too_ ), even that line about "responsibility is the price of success" ( _one more platitude and we'll be talking about the lights of Coruscant at sunset_ ). And _she_ was definitely not at ease - openly checking any possible escape route. But Han seemed relaxed. Sentimental, even. Which meant only one thing: he was bluffing.

_Unless..._

It was just a split second. Han had turned his head and checked where _she_ was: not anyone in the corridor, not the escape routes, not even his back - just _her_.

_He's in love. Kriff._

_Well, then: definitely not my fault. “Don't mix business and feelings”: that's the first rule, always. I know it, he knows it, and he knows I know it._

They had arrived at the penthouse.

Lando heard his own words as if they were spoken by someone else: “Relax. Everything here is at your disposal. Everything - for you.”

_Including the garrison that has just turned the 302nd level into their barracks._

Han's words came back as if through a fog: “You're a real friend.”

As the door was closing, Lando found himself wondering if there were rules for _being friends_. If there were, he certainly didn't know them.

_Well, then. Back to business._

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was my first fanfic. At the young age of 40, so for most of my life Lando was the only "ethically imperfect" character, which means that I've spent a long time both being in love and identifying with him. I like to think that he's not-so-low-key smitten with Leia, but the main reason behind his change of heart is his friendship with Han. (Trust me: when you're over 30, like Lando & Han, you realise that friendship can be more precious than a romantic relationship.)
> 
> Anyway: I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> PS: English is not my first language. If you let me know if there's any grammar/syntax horror ;-) in the comments I'll be very grateful.


End file.
